From: Marko Mäkelä (Marko.Makela_at_HUT.FI)
Date: 2002-03-27 10:51:16
As some of you may remember, I have developed an adapter that allows fast RS-232 data transfers to any 8-bit Commodore that has a cassette port (PET series, B series, 264 series, VIC-20, C64, C128). The software is entirely open source, and it works both on Unix-like systems and on 32-bit Microsoft Windows. Also the firmware and the hardware of the device are freely available as source code at http://www.funet.fi/pub/cbm/crossplatform/transfer/C2N232/. Currently, the device has two modes of operation, and I have plans to implement the third mode soon: - normal cassette LOAD/SAVE/OPEN/CLOSE I/O (tape fastloaders and TAP file playback would require minor software modifications) - cbmlink mode: data transfer that is controlled from outside (transfer data between a PC file system and Commodore memory, files or disks) - RS-232 adapter mode (not yet implemented): use the C2N232 for connecting a modem (up to 38400 bps) or in order to use RS-232 based applications, such as the Serial Slave by MagerValp The on-board firmware is programmable via the RS-232 interface (tested on GNU/Linux and Microsoft Windows). The newest published version of the board requires 4 added wires. I would like to make this invention accessible to as many Commodore users as possible. There are some obstacles, such as obtaining the parts, especially the cassette port connector, and manufacturing the circuit board. Therefore, I'm considering to sell assembled devices to interested parties. I stress that I'm not trying to make any profit with this. My estimate is that for a batch of 100 devices, the circuit board and the parts would cost something like 1500-2000 EUR (about the same in US$). Although I got rid of the initial batch of 20 boards quite easily, I'm a little afraid of spending that much money. What if I can sell only 30 devices? Therefore, I'd like to ask your feedback: - Are you interested in building this device? I could sell components and boards in batches of 10 or 20 without profit to someone who would assemble and distribute the device. - Are you interested in buying this device? It would probably cost between 20 and 30 EUR, including shipping. Please respond to me privately. Marko Message was sent through the cbm-hackers mailing list
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